General

No. 4 Clark Men's Tennis Tops No. 5 Emerson to Advance to NEWMAC Semifinals

WORCESTER, Mass. – The No. 4 Clark University men's tennis team (14-5) hosted No. 5 Emerson (9-10) in the first round of the NEWMAC playoffs on Thursday afternoon. The Cougars claimed the doubles point and used wins on courts 2, 3, and 4 to secure the win on the day, moving on to face #1 Babson in the semifinals.

Doubles: Clark 2, Emerson 1
  • No. 1: Seniors Edward Shepherd-Johnson & Graham Russo def. Filippo Nocchi & Connor Leung 6-3
  • No. 2: Sophomore Ziad Tabbara & junior Aris Kirkorian def. Cameron McAllister & Tai Finestone, 6-3 
  • No. 3: Caiden Riebold & Adam Alireza def. First-years Benjamin Liu & Ved Rao, 6-3
Singles: Clark 3, Emerson 1
  • No. 1: Nocchi def. Shepard-Johnson, 6-4 6-3
  • No. 2: Tabbara def. Leung, 6-2 6-1
  • No. 3: Kirkorian def. Alireza, 6-2 6-2
  • No. 4: Russo def. Finestone, 6-1 6-2 
  • No. 5: Liu vs Riebold, 3-6 6-2 1-0 (Suspended due to Match Completion)
  • No. 6: McAllister vs First-year Petru Cojocaru, 6-4 5-3 (Suspended due to Match Completion) 
The Cougars will travel to #1 Babson tomorrow at 3:00 PM for the NEWMAC Semifinals.

About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.